WASHINGTON -
The Georgetown University women's basketball team was part of a 16-team bracket that was announced Tuesday for the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. The Blue & Gray will open the season against Sacred Heart on November 9 at McDonough Arena at 7 p.m.

The Preseason WNIT kicks off the women's college basketball season and will be played Nov. 9-18 in a three-game guarantee championship format. Eleven of the 16 teams are coming off of postseason berths and six competed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament including the Blue & Gray.

Georgetown is the lone NCAA qualifier to be matched up with another 2012 NCAA Tournament team in the first round. Sacred Heart returns four starters from the squad that went 25-8 and won the Northeastern Conference a season ago.

The second round will feature a matchup with either Delaware or Sam Houston State. Delaware is the hands-on favorite to repeat as Colonial champs and make a postseason run with All-American Elena Delle Donne returning for her final season. Delle Donne led the nation last year in scoring, averaging 28.1 points a game for the 31-2 Blue Hens, who finished the season ranked 14th in the country. Sam Houston is coming off of postseason play after earning an 18-12 overall record and 12-4 mark in the Southland Conference.

The Blue & Gray is 2-0 all-time against Sacred Heart with consecutive meetings in 1999 and 2000. Georgetown is 1-3 against Delaware with the last meeting coming on the road in 2005 and has never faced Sam Houston State.

Last season, the Hoyas had another impressive campaign with an overall record of 23-9 and a mark of 11-5 in the BIG EAST. The Hoyas defeated three ranked teams and were ranked in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls for the entire year, at one point reaching No. 10 on the AP Poll and No. 11 on the ESPN/USA Today Poll. The Blue & Gray finished the season with an RPI of 26, as well as being ranked 18th and 17th on the AP and the ESPN/USA Today Polls, respectively.

GU tied for fourth in league play and earned its third-consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament where the Hoyas advanced to the second round.

Georgetown's last appearance in the Preseason WNIT was during the 2000-01 season. The Hoyas defeated James Madison, 75-70, at home, before falling to Purdue, 81-67, on the road. This is just the second appearance in the Preseason WNIT for the Blue & Gray.

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 9 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 11; semifinals will be Nov. 14-15; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 18. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 16-17. All games are hosted by participating schools. Following the first round, the bracket will be redrawn for consolation matchups.